2009-2010 Men's Basketball (Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Champions)

[AmeriBuck007]

Matta better start his recruiting pitch on Buford and Turner. He better start selling it now and laying it on extra thick because those two are likely gone. I would love for them to stay and make a run at the title.

Turner already passed up first round money once. Wonder if he'll be able to pass up lottery money next year.

 

[OH10]

If Turner develops a consistent outside jumper, there's no way he comes back... nor should he.

Buford still needs some significant development in the passing and defense department. But that hasn't stopped kids from jumping before.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Buford I think there is a decent shot he stays another year

Turner however not so much

 

[LitlBuck]

I agree that Turner is gone after next season but not so sure he will be a lottery pick unless he improves his jump shot. Word is that he will also be getting a lot of playing time at the PG position next season.

Not sure if Buford goes after next season I would guess that it would be how high he wants to go in the draft and staying an extra year would benefit them greatly with the guys coming in that year. Possible national championship if he would stay.

 

[LitlBuck]

North Carolina might have to wait a game

August 6, 2009
Backtracking on OSU-NC
A month ago, Andy Katz wrote on his ESPN blog that Ohio State and North Carolina would likely be matched in one Nov.19 semifinal of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in New York.

Yesterday, he covered another of his bases.

"The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic is also close to putting its bracket together for the Big Apple," Katz wrote, "with the possibility that North Carolina could play Cal in one semifinal and Syracuse face Ohio State in the other. Getting the 'Cuse in a final in New York would be advantageous for attendance purposes."

Guess that means that Ohio State is viewed as the weak sister of the four, huh?

Tack that to the wall, Buckeyes. And beware if you get a Big East officiating crew. Any tournament that guarantees its four marquee entrants passage to New York, regardless of the outcome of the first two rounds, is concerned about ticket revenue first and foremost.

Posted by Bob Baptist on August 6, 2009 10:08 AM

Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

10 things I learned in July - CBK News - FOX Sports

There's a reason why Ohio State coach Thad Matta had a smile on his face most of July. The Buckeyes locked up two of the nation's top big men in Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas and also have three other legitimate top 100 kids ? guards Jordan Sibert, Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft

 

[Buckskin86]

August 6, 2009
College Basketball Preseason Top 25 Countdown

A looks at teams 20-16
by Joey Whelan

As SLAM continues its countdown of the top 25 teams in the country entering the 2009-10 season, we examine a mid-major darling and a trio of reemerging Big Ten squads. While some of these teams look like solid locks to remain in the national rankings thanks to the return of already solid rosters, others will have to hope that their younger players continue to develop as expected in order to take on greater roles in the upcoming year. So without further adieu here?s five more to debate as the countdown to number one marches on.

16. Ohio State

What does 22 wins + returning your top four scorers equal? A top-20 ranking for Thad Matta?s Buckeyes. Sure, former blue chip recruit B.J. Mullens has departed for the NBA, but let?s be honest, the 7-footer really wasn?t a major factor in Ohio State?s success last season, especially down the stretch where he was extremely inconsistent. What OSU does return though is a nucleus of four extremely gifted players that will make their backcourt the most versatile and arguably to most dominant in the conference.

For starters, there is swingman Evan Turner; if you think there is a better all-around player in the Big Ten at this point, you?re wrong (no offense Kalin Lucas). All the Chicago native did during his sophomore campaign was post averages of 17.3 points, 7.1 rebound, 4 assists, 1.8 steals shoot better than 50-percent from the floor and connect on 44-percent of his three-point attempts. Do I need to continue? Turner is at his best when he can put the ball on the floor - something he does essentially every time hEvan Turnere is isolated - and while he is an excellent finish around the rim given his size and athleticism, he shows nice touch on his pull up jumper as well. This is the season that the junior will emerge as a potential first-team All-American candidate. Turner?s top running mate in the backcourt last season was Big Ten Freshman of the Year William Buford. The local product is a tough match up for any defender given his 6-5 frame and stellar athleticism. The Buckeyes liked to run him off of screens quite often last season and he excelled in these situations as he doesn?t need much space to burn a defender to the basket. He also showed a pretty good stroke from beyond the arc given the high volume of shots he attempted from this range in his first season. Speaking of range, shooting guard Jon Diebler is back for his third year of action having emerged as a lights out option from deep for the Buckeyes last season. The Ohio high school hoops legend attempted nearly as many three-point field goals as he did two-pointers and hit a scintillating 41.6-percent from beyond the arc. Given his propensity for draining anything and everything once he steps across half court, it should come as no surprise that over half of the shots attempted by Diebler last season were either in spot up situations or coming off of screens. The Buckeyes will gladly welcome swingman David Lighty back to their rotation as well after the junior missed all but seven games last season due to a broken foot. Prior to the injury the 6-5 Cleveland native was doing a little bit of everything, scoring, rebounding a high rate for a perimeter player and playing excellent defense at the other end of the floor. Lighty first showed promise a few years ago, getting spot time during the Greg Oden days, but now will have the chance to really step into his own and be a major contributor if he is fully healed.

The frontcourt will be a bit thin this season with the departure of Mullens, but having perimeter players like Turner and Lighty will certainly help on the glass. The Buckeyes will need a big season out of junior Dallas Lauderdale, a 6-8 255-pound power forward who posted modest numbers in a fair amount of playing time this season. Lauderdale has shown promise in spurts, but will have to accelerate his development at a high rate in order to hang with some of the more talented frontcourt players in the Big Ten. OSU fans will also get their first real look at Nikola Kecman who missed the early part of the season due to an NCAA ruling about his time spent playing with a pro team in Serbia and then suffering a season-ending knee injury after just one game. The 6-8 forward can shoot from the outside a bit and will provide another strong frame to help on the glass. Little used center Kyle Madsen may see increased minutes next season as well with the Buckeyes looking like it could be frontcourt my committee. Don?t expect a ton of production out of the OSU bigs, especially on a team with so many talented perimeter players, but if the frontcourt can rebound and play defense, all will be well for Thad Matta?s squad.

SLAM ONLINE | ? College Basketball Preseason Top 25 Countdown

 

[LitlBuck]

Non Conference Schedule Update

August 7, 2009
Schedule update

Delaware State will visit Value City Arena on Dec.19, a Saturday, according to the Hornets' schedule, which was released yesterday.

Also, Bucknuts has been reporting for a while that the game at Butler tentatively was scheduled the previous Saturday, Dec.12, with a TV-friendly afternoon tipoff time. That seems to fit.

That leaves Dec.16, give or take a day, for the game against Presbyterian.
So here you have it, maybe. The official release from Ohio State should be sometime this month, once the tipoff times are set and TV assignments are divvied among CBS, ESPN and Big Ten Network.

Nov. 9 - Florida International (13-20 last season) (Coaches vs. Cancer)
Nov. 12 - James Madison (21-15) (Coaches vs. Cancer)
Nov. 19 - vs. North Carolina (34-4), Syracuse (28-10) or California (22-11) in New York (Coaches vs. Cancer)
Nov. 20 - vs. North Carolina, Syracuse or California in New York (Coaches vs. Cancer)
Nov. 24 - Lipscomb (17-14)
Nov. 28 - St. Francis (6-23)
Dec. 2 - Florida State (25-10)
Dec. 5 - Eastern Michigan (8-24)
Dec. 12 - at Butler (26-6)
Dec. 15/16/17 - Presbyterian (12-17)
Dec. 19 - Delaware State (8-24)
Dec. 22 - Cleveland State (26-11)
Dec. 30/31 - Big Ten opener
Jan. 23 - at West Virginia (23-12)

Posted by Bob Baptist on August 7, 2009 10:14 AM

Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog

 

[CHU]

Dance fever - College Basketball - Rivals.com

Nice seed...way too early and Yahoo/Rivals must be bored.

 

[Buckskin86]

Items from the pre-Canada news conference

When Evan Turner was asked today what he hoped to get out of the team's trip to Canada this month, he mentioned jelling with his teammates because "we've kind of got a different type of flow of offense. I?ve got to get used to that."

Asked what is different about the offense, Turner smiled and said, "I can?t give out all the secrets, but we?ve got some tricks up our sleeve. You?ll see."

- Coach Thad Matta said it would be "realistic" to think Turner, Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Hill would get minutes at point guard this season. What he doesn't sound sure of yet is how to have Turner be both initiator and finisher, not to mention rebounder.

"If we would go that route, him getting us in the offense, obviously we?ve got to (then) get him back into the action and allow him to do the things that he?s capable of doing," Matta said.


The Buckeyes also would benefit from better defensive rebounding than they've had the past two seasons. Four big guards like Turner, David Lighty, William Buford and Jon Diebler on the court at the same time seemingly could rebound better and trigger more transition, which would lessen the importance of a setup man.

"That has to be a premium for this ballclub," Matta said, "understanding the value of rebounding the basketball . . . and (minimizing) second-chance points for teams."

- Matta said that while "you're never done recruiting," he is done adding to the class of 2010, which numbers six commitments already. Although several point guards the Buckeyes offered remain available, Matta said he does not expect to add another.

- Walter Offutt got shout-outs from Matta, Turner and Jon Diebler for the improvement he's made during the offseason.

"I think we?re a very capable group. We?ve got 8 or 9 deep that can really play," Turner said. "A lot of reserves last year have gotten way better. Walter Offutt has become a better shooter over the summer. Everybody looks 10 times better as a player."

- Matta said the December double-header the Greater Columbus Sports Commission hopes to make an annual event in Nationwide Arena would be like the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis, in which the Buckeyes played Cincinnati several years ago. They played Notre Dame last season as part of a double-header in the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

"That would be the caliber (of teams) we would try to bring in," Matta said. "I think it would be a great thing . . . if you could draw a Dayton or a Xavier for the other game, or Cincinnati."

The commission is trying to get the event up and running by 2010 or 2011.

Items from the pre-Canada news conference (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[Buckskin86]

Timing just right for games in Canada
Saturday, August 15, 2009
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

One of the drawbacks to a college basketball team playing summer exhibition games outside the United States is that the NCAA prohibits incoming freshmen from making the trip.

That would have left the Ohio State men's team a few bricks shy of a load the past three years.

"We talked about this a couple years ago and had kind of circled this year as a good time," coach Thad Matta said. "It's hard when you can't take your incoming freshmen with you. Since we have none coming in this year, we felt like this would be the best opportunity to do it."

With all but one player -- NBA early entrant B.J. Mullens -- back from last season, the Buckeyes had the first of 10 days of practice yesterday in preparation for a three-game trip to Canada later this month.

"I'm excited to get back at it for a real practice," said David Lighty, who has not played in a game with his teammates since breaking the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot seven games into last season.

While Lighty has been cleared to play since spring, it's doubtful that Nikola Kecman will play in the exhibition games, said Vince O'Brien, the team's head athletic trainer.

Kecman, a junior-college transfer, played in only one game last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He is expected to be ready for the start of preseason practice Oct. 16, O'Brien said.

The trip to Ontario will include games Aug. 28 and 29 against the University of Windsor and Aug. 31 against the University of Western Ontario. All games will be in the

The Columbus Dispatch : Timing just right for games in Canada

 

[Buckskin86]

The mostly official 2009-10 schedule

The Big Ten released the conference schedule today but Ohio State did not release its nonconference schedule because a couple of dates, times and/or TV assignments apparently are not finalized.

So what follows is the unofficial schedule of non-conference games we've dug up, with help from friends, and the official slate of conference games. The non-conference schedule and exhibition game will be announced later, a team spokesman said.

Monday, Nov. 9 ..... Florida International (2K Sports Classic)
Thursday, Nov. 12 ..... James Madison (2K Sports Classic)
Thursday, Nov. 19 ..... vs. North Carolina, Syracuse or California (2K Sports Classic), New York
Friday, Nov. 20 ..... vs. North Carolina, Syracuse or California (2K Sports Classic), New York
Tuesday, Nov. 24 ..... Lipscomb
Saturday, Nov. 28 ..... St. Francis (Pa.)
Wednesday, Dec. 2 ..... Florida State (ACC-Big Ten Challenge), 9:30 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, Dec. 5 ..... Eastern Michigan
Saturday, Dec. 12 ..... at Butler
Wednesday, Dec. 16 ..... Presbyterian
Saturday, Dec. 19 ..... Delaware State
Tuesday, Dec. 22 ..... Cleveland State
Thursday, Dec. 31 ..... at Wisconsin 2 p.m., ESPN2
Sunday, Jan. 3 ..... at Michigan, 4:30 p.m., BTN
Wednesday, Jan. 6 ..... Indiana, 8:30 p.m., BTN
Saturday, Jan. 9 ..... at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m., BTN
Tuesday, Jan. 12 ..... at Purdue, 7 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 16 ..... Wisconsin, 8 p.m., BTN
Tuesday, Jan.19 ..... Northwestern, 7 p.m., BTN
Saturday, Jan. 23 ..... at West Virginia
Wednesday, Jan. 27 ..... at Iowa, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30 ..... Minnesota, 1 p.m., CBS
Wednesday, Feb. 3 ..... Penn State, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Sunday, Feb. 7 ..... Iowa, noon, BTN
Wednesday, Feb. 10 ..... at Indiana, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Sunday, Feb. 14 ..... at Illinois, 1 p.m., CBS
Wednesday, Feb. 17 ..... Purdue, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Saturday/Sunday, Feb. 20/21 ..... at Michigan State, 4 p.m./8 p.m./Noon, ESPN/BTN/CBS
Wednesday, Feb. 24 ..... at Penn State, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Saturday/Sunday, Feb. 27/28 ..... Michigan, Noon/8 p.m./4 p.m., ESPN/BTN/CBS
Wednesday, March 3 ..... Illinois, 6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., BTN
Saturday/Sunday, March 6-7 ..... BYE
Thursday-Sunday, March 11-14 ..... Big Ten tournament, Indianapolis

The mostly official 2009-10 schedule (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[LitlBuck]

Strange that we play Bernini's Badgers in two of our first 6 Big Ten games but I guess we have to beat them sooner or later during the regular season. Nice to see a bye week the weekend before the Big Ten tournament since we do not have any bye weeks during the entire season. When does basketball season start:)

 

[Buckskin86]

Buckeyes, Tar Heels meet in nightcap in New York

Ohio State and North Carolina will meet in the second semifinal Nov. 19 in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer in Madison Square Garden in New York, the tournament announced today.

Syracuse and California play in the first game at 7 p.m. The second game will start 30 minutes after the first ends, or about 9:30 p.m.

The consolation and championship games will be Nov.20 starting at 5 p.m.

The four teams will play host first- and second-round games the previous week. Though Ohio State has not released its nonconference schedule, it is expected to face Florida International on Nov. 9 and James Madison on Nov. 12.

Buckeyes, Tar Heels meet in nightcap in New York (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State
Even though B.J. Mullens bolted on the Buckeyes after just one season, averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, you shouldn't care if you're a Buckeyes fan. They won't miss Mullens one bit, just like they didn't regret Kosta Koufos' departure the previous season. Those two big men are not Greg Oden. They had a higher opinion of themselves than anyone else did. Sure, they were drafted in the first round, but let's check later down the road to see their longevity in the league. What Thad Matta has returning is a perimeter that is worthy of praise. The foursome of Evan Turner, William Buford, Jon Diebler and David Lighty, back after missing all but seven games last season with a foot injury, gives the Buckeyes the deepest and arguably the most talented backcourt in the league. The kind of production those four are capable of will make losing Mullens moot. Dallas Lauderdale can be just as serviceable as Mullens inside. All the Buckeyes need is for someone like Lauderdale to rebound and start the break. The guards can do the rest.

2009-10 Predictions
By Doug Gottlieb
ESPN

3. Ohio State: Evan Turner is the best talent in this league and while Ohio State added nothing, this core has been together for three years now, which is virtually unheard of in Columbus. With B.J. Mullens gone to the pros, look for Thad Matta to use the "less is more" approach to playing time as his top five are really talented and experienced and he doesn't have a one-and-done to appease anymore. (Don't worry, Buckeyes fans, help is on the way with an unreal recruiting haul in the 2010 class.)

10 Nonconference Games We Can't Wait To See
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Ohio State vs. North Carolina, Nov. 19 (Coaches vs. Cancer): The Buckeyes enter the event as the more experienced team, but don't have the same cachet as the Tar Heels. North Carolina will still be picked to go further in March with the overall talent advantage. This could be a breakout game at MSG for the Buckeyes and guard Evan Turner, who hasn't received as much national recognition yet.

? Ohio State at West Virginia, Jan. 23: The Buckeyes continue a loaded nonconference slate with a game at one of the Big East favorites. The Buckeyes could be a Big Ten title favorite with Michigan State and Purdue if they were able to get a win like this in Morgantown.

College basketball ShootAround: Big Ten - Men's College Basketball - ESPN